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Policing Race and Place in Indian Country

Over- and Under-enforcement

Barbara Perry author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Lexington Books

Published:16th Jan '09

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Policing Race and Place in Indian Country cover

This insightful book delves into the policing issues faced by Native American communities, exploring their unique perspectives and experiences. Policing Race and Place in Indian Country offers critical insights into systemic challenges.

This book addresses a significant gap in the scholarship surrounding the policing of Native American communities. Policing Race and Place in Indian Country is the first comprehensive exploration of Native Americans' perspectives on the unique challenges they face regarding law enforcement. It highlights how these communities, particularly those on or near reservations, experience both over-policing and under-policing, which contributes to the dual issues of criminalization and victimization of Native Americans as both nations and individuals.

Through a series of interviews with 278 Native Americans across seven states, Policing Race and Place in Indian Country uncovers troubling patterns of hate crimes directed at Native Americans, alongside a pervasive dissatisfaction with local law enforcement. Participants shared experiences that ranged from a blatant disregard for Native American victimization to direct instances of police harassment and violence. These narratives reveal a troubling continuity of systemic racism that has historically impacted Native American communities.

As one of the pioneering works focused specifically on the policing of Native American populations, this book fills a crucial void in the literature. While many studies touch on the racialized aspects of policing, they often mention Native Americans only in passing. By centering the Native American experience, Policing Race and Place in Indian Country serves as an essential resource for scholars and practitioners interested in the intersection of race, policing, and criminal justice.

[Perry] puts the impact of over- and under-policing in the perspective of the policing of other minority groups and Indigenous peoples in other countries; she discusses this issue within contemporary race theory, specifically the maintenance of boundaries of race. Perry also critiques solutions that have been tried and failed. She concludes that only increased Native American self-determination in operating their own justice systems has the potential to end the serious consequences of over and under-policing. This book should be read by all justice practitioners who work within Indian Country or who serve Indigenous clients. It will make you think twice about the unintended (and sometimes intended) consequences of 'business as usual' within American policing. -- Marianne Nielsen, Northern Arizona University
The linkage of race and policing is often addressed in discussions of the issues facing minorities, but rarely is there an emphasis on American Indians. The fact that racism is inherent in the relationship between Indian Country and the American government is widely accepted. But this author uses empirical research techniques to prove the point. She examines the role of racism in the history of relations between the tribes and law enforcement through the use of survey responses and interviews. The reality of the racism faced by American Indians in regard to law enforcement comes alive, and challenges the reader to act to bring about change. -- Eileen M. Luna-Firebaugh, University of Arizona

ISBN: 9780739116135

Dimensions: 241mm x 162mm x 15mm

Weight: 370g

132 pages